Whether you like to forage for mushrooms in the wild, or prefer to purchase them at the store, the chanterelle mushroom should be added to your list of must-have mushrooms.
Chanterelle is a favorite for adding to any recipe, or cooking on its own, because it has a wonderful aroma and taste. If you live in an area where there are wild, edible mushrooms, youll appreciate learning to identify the chanterelle.
They can be somewhat similar to the poisonous Jack OLanterns, which are orange, grow in clusters and have gills that crumble and break. To distinguish the two, chanterelles grow only near trees, not alone in fields, and dont grow in big clumps each should have its own stem.
As well, chanterelles have folds on their undersides and the ridges run down the stem a bit, rather than terminating at the cap. The texture of chanterelles is also firmer and less crumbly than Jack OLanterns. You cant separate the false gills of a chanterelle from its cap.
Besides their delicious flavor, here are 4 reasons its worth finding chanterelle mushrooms.
1. Theyre High in Vitamins
Like many mushrooms, chanterelles are naturally vitamin rich. In the case of chanterelles, they support good health by providing high levels of vitamins B and C. They also contain carbohydrates and proteins and a low amount of fat, phenolic compounds and organic acids.
2. Theyre Anti-Oxidant
There are studies that show this mushroom species has whats called good radical scavenging activity, which means it may have strong antioxidant potential as well as anti-bactericidal effects.
The antioxidants may protect the cells against free radicals, which can play a role in cancer, heart disease, and other diseases. That means they are preventative when it comes to helping your body ward off disease, thanks to the fact they are believed to provide an optimal supply of antioxidants.
3. Theyre Anti-Inflammatory
The chanterelle is also shown to have anti-inflammatory and wound-healing properties. For instance, in one study using non-human subjects, the activity of the chanterelle included repair of the epidermal layer of skin and increased collagen production.
The chanterelles wound-healing and anti-inflammatory effects provide rationale for the medicinal use of the golden chanterelle mushroom in treating wounds.
4. They May Be Antihypoxic
Another benefit to chanterelles could be an ability to deter hypoxia, a deficiency in the amount of oxygen that reaches the bodys tissues. Some studies on non-human subjects have shown that chanterelle extract helped prolong hypoxia-induced lethality.
Further study is needed, but it doesnt hurt to eat food that supports getting oxygen to your tissues.
Final Thoughts
The health benefits of chanterelle mushrooms make them worth finding, whether you forage for them in the wild or are able to purchase them.
You can also feel good about the fact that chanterelles have a special place in the ecosystem. Because theyre parasitic, they support the environment by digesting their hosts and adding nutrients to the surrounding soil. Chanterelles form a symbiotic, beneficial relationship with plant or tree roots.
For all these reasons, its worth finding chanterelle mushrooms and adding them to your diet.
